Frame for drying gelatin, glue, and the like



Dec.17, 1929. J. c. ANDERSON 1,739,567

FRAME FQl'! DRYING GELATiN, GLUE, AND THE LIKE Filed June 11, 1927 In ven for Attorngy.

Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES JOHN C. ANDERSON. OF

KEYPORT, NEW JERSEY FRAME FOR DRYING GELATIN, GLUE, AND THE LIKE Application filed June 11,

My invention relates to devices for drying gelatinous materials such as gelatinand glue, and its object is to provide an improved device of this character which shall be capable 5 of continuous use without frequent repairs and which shall effectively support the material that is being dried.

More specifically, theobject of my invention is to provide an improved drying frame in which a wire net shall be securely attachedto a supporting frame by novel. means to be described below, and in which the net shall be composed of helically woven wire of substantial diameter so that the wire will not cut into the gelatin or glue during the drying.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drying frame constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one corner of the frame shown in Fig. 1, illustrating in 7 detail the manner in which the net is attached to the marginal frame. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a frame of modified construction, and Fig. t is an enlarged perspective view of one corner of the frame shown in Fig 3.

In the manufacture of glue, edible gelatin and other gelatinous materials, extensive use is made of drying frames, each consisting essentially of a rectangular framework carrying a net of wire mesh upon which the gelatin or other like material is deposited in a sheet about -7 of an inch thick. The material at this time is of about the consistency of table jelly, so that it will stand on the net without running through. These nets 0r frames, which ordinarily are about 33 by 58 inches in size, are put into carriers called stacks, about 21 frames to each, and are passed through a dryer for about 12 hours after which the gelatin or other material has dried to a hard sheet about of an inch thickness which is knocked off the nets with whips to be later ground up into powder or otherise treated.

Heretofore it has been the universal practies to make these devices by stapling upon the rectangular wooden framework a net of hexagonally woven wire fabric of about oneinch mesh. This fabric was woven after the 1927. Serial No. 198,136.

manner of ordinary poultry wire and necessarily employed wire of light gauge, inasmuch as coarser gauges would not stand the double .twist of this hexagonal weave without breaking. For the same reason, it was necessary to use soft wire, inasmuch as the hard alloys were too brittle to be twisted closely. The small wire cut into the gelatin or glue during the drying, sometimes so much as to. be entirely surrounded by it, offering. great difficulty-in re: moving the material from the net The hQXZLe. gen mesh, being flimsy and unstable, could not, be tightened properly on the frame.

A still more serious disadvantage of the ordinary drying frame. is that the hexagon mesh fabric has loose wires at its ends and these loose wires were stapled directly to the frame. The loose wires would soon pull through the staples, loosening the net and finally pulling loose altogether. WVhen this happened, or when the mesh sagged as a result of insufi'icient tightening, it was necessary to change the staples. This made new holesin the frames into which water entered when the nets were washed, causing the frames to split.

So, serious have these disadvantages been, that it has been necessary to keep considerable numbers of men occupied in repairing these frames, the ends of which, being stapled to the loose wires of thenet, must be renewed several times before the sides of the frames are worn out.

In the gelatin and glue industries at the present time, some hundreds Of thousands of these frames are kept inv stock and over one.- third of these are out of service at all timesfor repairs.

According to my present invention, I provide a drying device so constructed as toovercome all of the disadvantages of the ordinary frames described above. In this new device, the net is composed of spiral or helical fabric woven from heavy wire which, for example, may be of No. 12 B and S gauge, and maybe even heavier if desired. This mesh enables the use of hard alloys such as duralumin, which is suitable foruse in gelatinnets which are required to be free of cepper, while hard steel or other wire may be used in glue nets. The heavy gauge of the wire and the strength of the spiral weave gives the net great durability as compared with the soft light wire heretofore used. It may be stretched with great tension, and remains tight during use without adjustment. The heavier wire also has the advantage that it does not cut into the gelatin or the glue during drying.

The net is attached to the rectangular,

framework in a novel manner. Stout binding rods are inserted through the end loops of the net on all four sides and staples are driven over the rods and preferably also over the adjacent strands of the net. These binding rods distribute the pressure of the glue or gelatin over a considerable area and since this distributed strain is taken by the relatively heavy rods there is no danger of pulling the staples loose from the frame. Also, each mesh of this weave is so looked that it cannot spread apart in any way.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the numerals 2 and 3 indicate the side and end bars of a rectangular wooden frame which may be provided at its corners with metal reinforcements indicated at 4. A net 5 of spirally woven fabric is attached to the bars 2 and 3 by means of binding rods 6 and staples 7 It will be noted that the staples 7 extend across the rods 6 and also across the adjacent strands of the net. It will also be noted that the binding rods 6 extend through the end loops of the net and that the binding rods are considerably heavier than the wire of which the net is composed. The binding rods, as shown, are flattened and are laid with their widest dimension horizontal. This increases the resistance of the rods to bending stresses and also permits the use of relatively heavy rods without substantially distorting the end loops of the net. Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified way of attaching the net to the 'frame and for tightening the net thereon.

These devices are screw clamps, each consisting of a member 10 countersunk in the frame and slotted at its upper end to receive a screw 11 on which is threaded a nut 12, that bears against a flat hook 13. As shown in Fig. 3, a suitable number of these clamping devices are placed on the sides and ends of the frame and are tightened evenly to stretch the net and hold it in place. These tightening and clamping devices are effective and easily released when desired, but I find that for most practical purposes the staples shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are entirely sufficient.

The side and end bars 2 and 3 are preferably made of hard wood, but any other suitable material may be used if desired The device shown and described herein has been accepted in the art as a satisfactory solution of the difiiculties heretofore experienced in frames of this kind. However, itis recognized that various changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A device for drying gelatin, glue and the like comprising a rectangular frame and a net spanning such frame and secured thereto, the said net being helically woven from wire at least as large as No. 12 B and S gauge.

2. A device for drying; gelatin, glue and the like comprising a rectangular frame, a net spanning said frame andhelically woven from wire at least as large as No. 12 B and S-gauge, binding rods extending through they end loops of said net and staples driven into said frame, each staple extending across one of said rods.

3. A device for drying gelatin, glue and'the like, comprising a frame and a net of woven wire spanning such frame and secured thereto, the size of the wires of said net be1ng relatively large as compared with the size of the meshes and at least as large as No. 12 B and S gauge. 7 V

Signed at Hartford, Connecticut, this 9th day of June, 1927.

JOHN C. ANDERSON. 

